Mitigation: Smoke and Mirrors or Biodiversity Enhancement?

Mitigation is defined as ‘any deliberate action taken to alleviate adverse effects, whether by controlling the sources of impacts or the exposure of ecological receptors to them’.

The statistics record declining habitats and reduced species diversity. Are we fiddling while Rome burns? Is planning and conversation, legislation and policy providing the impetus and enforcement required to deliver effective mitigation? Is mitigation of the quality needed to restore and enhance biodiversity? Or, does it only avoid, reduce, moderate, minimise or repair, thereby becoming a lost opportunity? Should we be delivering enhancements as a part of mitigation action? How is mitigation being evaluated? Can we meet the Countdown 2010 challenge to halt biodiversity loss?

IEEM will be facilitating a two-day conference tackling key factors regarding measures undertaken to limit the adverse impact of developments on biodiversity. This conference will bring together professional ecologists and environmental managers to discuss and consider the important issues of mitigation.

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